Pakistan Court Drops Attempted Murder Case Against Baby

byAlastair JamiesonandWajahat S. Khan

Nine-month-old toddler Mohammad Musa is held Saturday by his grandfather Muhammad Yasin at a court hearing in Lahore, Pakistan. The court threw out charges of attempted murder against the toddler.ARIF ALI / AFP - Getty Images

The baby’s grandfather, Muhammad Yasin, and his three sons still face the charges, but the young boy will not, officials told the family.

“The family decided to seek mercy from the law and produced this baby in front of the court,” defense lawyer Irfan Sadiq Tarar told NBC News. “That’s what exposed and embarrassed the police. We had to get bail for this baby to show how corrupt the police is.”

The BBC reported that the boy’s grandfather asked journalists covering the case: “He doesn’t even know how to pick up his milk bottle properly. How can he stone the police?”

Pictures taken at an earlier court hearing of Musa crying as he was being fingerprinted prompted officials to call for an inquiry.